Vehicular wheel cover

Abstract

An automotive vehicle wheel apparatus includes a turnable cover or door for a wheelhouse opening in a fender. In another aspect, a sheath or liner is provided close to at least half of a circumference of a wheel. A further aspect blocks and/or removes circumferential air moving with a wheel.

The invention claimed is: 
     
         1 . An automotive vehicle apparatus comprising:
 a rotatable wheel including a tire having an outside diameter;   a sheath including an inside surface covering at least half of the outside diameter of the wheel with a substantially uniform radial distance of two inches or less between the outside diameter and a majority of the inside surface; and   a stationary wheelhouse located above the sheath which is above the wheel;   the sheath turning with the wheel when the wheel is steered and the sheath being spaced away from a road surface.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising an exterior cover filling a majority of a wheelhouse opening in an exterior fender, the cover turning when the wheel turns in at least one steering condition, and the cover hiding at least a majority of the wheel and sheath from outside the vehicle when the wheel is rotating and steered in a straight forward direction. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein a majority of the sheath and cover are of a material selected from: a polymer, a composite, long strand resinated fibers, a resinated fabric, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , wherein the sheath directly contacts against an inside of the cover to turn the cover. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , further comprising a roller located between the sheath and cover, the roller contacting against at least one of the cover and the sheath to cause the cover to turn with the wheel in at least one steering condition. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a front lower edge of the sheath forward of the wheel is located within two inches of a flat road surface. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the front lower edge of the sheath is located within one inch of the flat road surface, and the front lower edge of the sheath is a flexible polymeric material. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a rear lower edge of the sheath behind the wheel has a duck bill shape further away from the tire than the uniform radial covering distance therebetween. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the sheath includes an inwardly angled wall removing air rotating with the outside diameter of the tire when the wheel rotates. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a suspension bracket located inboard of the wheel, the sheath being attached to the bracket which is steerable and vertically moveable with the wheel, the sheath being polymeric, and the sheath having a substantially inverted U-shape when viewed from a side of the vehicle. 
     
     
         11 . An automotive vehicle apparatus comprising:
 a rotatable wheel including a tire having an outside diameter;   a sheath including an inside surface covering at least an upper portion of the outside diameter of the tire; and   a wall inwardly angling from the sheath toward the tire to remove air rotating with the outside diameter of the tire when the tire rotates;   the sheath turning with the wheel when the wheel is steered.   
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , further comprising a stationary wheelhouse within which the sheath is located and the wheel rotates in at least one operating condition, the wall inwardly angling behind the wheel, and the wall being integrally part of the sheath. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein a rear edge of the sheath behind the wheel has a duck bill shape further away from the tire than a nominal radial distance therebetween. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , further comprising a suspension bracket located inboard of the wheel, the sheath being attached to the bracket which is steerable and vertically moveable with the wheel, the sheath being polymeric, and the sheath having a substantially inverted U-shape when viewed from a side of the vehicle. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , further comprising an exterior cover filling a majority of a wheelhouse opening in an exterior fender, the cover turning when the wheel turns in at least one steering condition, and the cover hiding at least a majority of the wheel and sheath from outside the vehicle when the wheel is rotating and steered in a straight forward direction. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein a front lower edge of the sheath forward of the wheel is located within two inches of a flat road surface. 
     
     
         17 . An automotive vehicle apparatus comprising:
 a rotatable and turnable wheel;   a stationary wheelhouse above the wheel;   a fender including a wheelhouse opening;   a cover located within at least a majority of the wheelhouse opening and outboard of the wheel, the cover being tumable with the wheel but independent of the wheelhouse in at least one steering condition;   a connector coupled to the cover adjacent a front edge thereof; and   an actuator operably moving the connector which assists in turning the cover with the wheel in the at least one steering condition.   
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the connector includes a cable. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the connector is a rigid linkage. 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the connector includes an elongated rod extending in a substantially cross-car direction which is coupled to a stationary segment of the vehicle by at least one yoke. 
     
     
         21 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the connector is part of a Robert's straight line motion, four bar linkage. 
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the actuator includes an electromagnet. 
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the actuator is part of a steering mechanism. 
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , further comprising a second connector coupled adjacent a rear edge of the cover to assist in turning the door with the wheel, and at least one spring biasing the door into a position substantially flush with the adjacent portion of the fender. 
     
     
         25 . An automotive vehicle apparatus comprising:
 an electrically driven automotive vehicle having a distance range of at least 100 miles per battery charge if operating at 50 miles per hour or faster;   a rotatable and steerable wheel;   a stationary wheelhouse above the wheel;   a fender including a wheelhouse opening;   a door located within at least a majority of the wheelhouse opening outboard of the wheel, the door being steerable with the wheel but independent of the wheelhouse in at least one steering condition;   a front flange extending in an offset manner adjacent a front edge of the door;   a rear flange extending in an offset manner adjacent a rear edge of the door;   the flanges being substantially hidden from outside the vehicle by the door and the fender, at least an end of the flanges overlapping behind the fender;   the door being rigid and made from at least one of the following materials:   
       a polymer, a composite, resinated long strand fibers, or resinated fabric; and
 at least one biasing member biasing at least one of the flanges relative to the wheelhouse. 
 
     
     
         26 . The apparatus of  claim 25 , further comprising a connector coupled to the door, the connector being at least one of: a cable, an elongated rod, or a rigid linkage. 
     
     
         27 . The apparatus of  claim 25 , further comprising a swivel joint coupling a longitudinal center of the door to at least one of the fender or the wheelhouse. 
     
     
         28 . The apparatus of  claim 25 , wherein the biasing member is one of multiple springs sandwiching the corresponding flange therebetween. 
     
     
         29 . The apparatus of  claim 25 , further comprising an illumination source attached to and moveable with the door. 
     
     
         30 . An automotive vehicle apparatus comprising:
 a rotatable and steerable wheel;   a vehicular body including a wheelhouse;   a cover coupled to the vehicular body and being located outboard of the wheel, the cover being turnable about a substantially vertical axis but independent of the wheelhouse in at least one steering condition;   an electronic controller operably receiving a steering signal and a velocity signal; and   an actuator connected to the electronic controller, the electronic controller operably causing the actuator to turn the cover in at least one steering and velocity condition.   
     
     
         31 . The apparatus of  claim 30 , wherein the actuator includes an electromagnet. 
     
     
         32 . The apparatus of  claim 30 , further comprising a connector coupling the actuator to the cover, the connector including at least one of: a cable, an elongated rod, or a rigid linkage. 
     
     
         33 . The apparatus of  claim 30 , further comprising a swivel joint coupling a longitudinal center of the cover to at least one of a fender or the wheelhouse. 
     
     
         34 . The apparatus of  claim 30 , further comprising a suspension bracket located inboard of the wheel, a polymeric sheath being attached to the bracket and located inside the wheelhouse, and a majority of an inner surface of the sheath being within two radial inches from an outside diameter of the wheel. 
     
     
         35 . The apparatus of  claim 30 , wherein the actuator is an electric motor which operably pulls an elongated cable coupled to a front, inside section of the cover so as to turn the cover about a longitudinally central joint. 
     
     
         36 . An automotive vehicle apparatus comprising:
 a rotatable and steerable wheel;   a vehicular body including a wheelhouse above the wheel;   a cover attached to the vehicular body and being located outboard of the wheel, the cover being turnable about a substantially vertical axis but independent of the wheelhouse in at least one steering condition; and   an illumination source attached to and moveable with the cover.   
     
     
         37 . The apparatus of  claim 36 , wherein the illumination source is elongated to have a length at least twenty times as long as wide, and the illumination source includes at least one light emitting diode. 
     
     
         38 . The apparatus of  claim 36 , wherein the illumination source is located between the cover and the wheelhouse when the wheel is in a straight forward position, and the illumination source being located on a section of the cover in front of the wheel, on a section of the cover above the wheel and on a section of the cover behind the wheel. 
     
     
         39 . The apparatus of  claim 36 , further comprising a hollow joint moveably coupling the cover to the vehicular body, and an electricity carrying wire extending through the joint and being connected to the illumination source. 
     
     
         40 . A method of operating an automotive vehicle, the method comprising:
 (a) reducing aerodynamic drag due to wheel rotation by rotating the wheel within a sheath positioned within two inches of a circumference of at least half of the wheel;   (b) reducing aerodynamic drag by rotating the wheel between an exterior side cover and a wheelhouse;   (c) using an electronic controller to turn the cover with the wheel and independent of the wheelhouse in at least one operating condition.   
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 40 , further comprising steering the sheath with the wheel and vertically moving the sheath with the wheel. 
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 40 , further comprising removing air rotating with the circumference of the wheel by an internal wall of the sheath. 
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 40 , further comprising supplying electricity to a light mounted on and moveable with the cover.